All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 105: "No wonder Fujikawa Publishing has always been a second-rate publisher all these years."

"Lonely-kun, how long do you plan to laze around like Shiratamaru?"

The familiar voice of Kasumigaoka Utaha woke Yukima Azuma from an uncomfortable sleep.

Azuma groggily got up from the floor.

His entire body ached.

Yeah, sleeping on the floor is definitely bad for your health.

"Using Shiratamaru to mock me is too much, senpai. Anyway, what time is it now?"

"It's already noon."

"Oh, I'll go cook right away."

"Come on, Lonely-kun! Can't you think for a little? Do you think I'd starve just because you didn't cook?"

"Huh? So you've already eaten, senpai?"

"Umu. There's some food left in the kitchen for you."

Kasumigaoka Utaha subtly tilted her head toward the kitchen.

Her swollen hands, reddened from ice, were hidden behind her back.

Yukima Azuma, still groggy, shuffled toward the kitchen.

There, he saw a plate of omurice, meticulously plated, and a cup of tea that had gone cold.

Seeing these, Azuma's foggy mind suddenly cleared up.

Had Utaha-senpai really already eaten?

If he believed this was leftovers...

Then there was definitely something wrong with his head.

Picking up the plate of omurice, Yukima Azuma devoured it like someone who hadn't eaten in days, exclaiming between bites:

"It's so good! Absolutely delicious!"

His vague compliments made Kasumigaoka Utaha roll her eyes in exasperation.

After all, she knew herself well enough.

Compared to Yukima Azuma's exceptional cooking skills...

This dish was just barely edible.

"Lonely-kun, you really are out of your mind."

"Utaha-senpai, it's truly delicious! I'm not lying!"

With that, Yukima Azuma scooped up a spoonful of omurice and brought it to Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips.

Seeing Azuma's earnest expression, Kasumigaoka Utaha began to doubt herself.

Could her cooking skills really have improved?

When she opened her mouth to taste that spoonful of omurice, however...

All her doubts vanished instantly.

Indeed, compared to Yukima Azuma's flawlessly crafted dishes, this was just barely passable.

Kasumigaoka Utaha shot Azuma a glare of frustration.

But Azuma, undeterred, scooped another spoonful after finishing his own and brought it to Kasumigaoka's lips again.

Kasumigaoka was about to say something, but the spoon of omurice touched her lips, leaving her no choice but to accept it.

Like this, the two took turns eating spoonful after spoonful until the plate of omurice was gone.

"It was so good, so good that I feel like crying," Yukima Azuma said with a smile.

He picked up the cup of cold tea and took small sips.

The taste was so exquisite that it was hard to put into words.

Even though Yukima Azuma's literary skills were at level 7, he couldn't describe even a tenth of the tea's flavor.

...

"I'm heading out."

"Take care."

Yukima Azuma waved goodbye to Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Kasumigaoka Utaha returned the gesture with her usual calm demeanor.

As Yukima Azuma left, Kasumigaoka looked at her fingers, where the swelling was gradually subsiding.

This guy... really is too sharp.

Even just hiding her hands behind her back wasn't enough to fool him.

...

Fujikawa Publishing

Machida Sonoko had been waiting in front of Fujikawa Publishing's building for quite some time.

When she saw Yukima Azuma walking leisurely toward her, she quickly approached him in a hurry.

"Hey, kid, why did you suddenly decide to start writing light novels?"

"Didn't Shi-chan say you were playing shogi? And you're even a professional?"

Debuting as a professional light novel author was no easy feat.

Those who qualified for publication had emerged victorious among countless competitors.

This, in fact, was quite similar to shogi.

Machida Sonoko thought that Yukima Azuma, being a professional, would surely understand the difficulty of the profession.

Just an idea sparking in one's mind isn't enough.

It takes significant determination, even exceptional talent, to reach this door.

Yukima Azuma said nothing and simply handed the manuscript he was holding to her.

Machida Sonoko glanced at Azuma before taking the manuscript.

Her eyes skimmed the title:

"The Youth of a Lonely Boy Will Not Dream of a Passerby Heroine."

The title… definitely feels like a "light novel."

Machida Sonoko opened the first page.

And then froze.

Most works require reading several chapters to feel their charm.

Because of this, many light novel authors try to create an attractive opening.

They just hope readers will continue with expectations.

From an editor's perspective, however, things are different.

By simply looking at the first page, one can make a preliminary judgment about the writing style.

After flipping through ten pages, one can get a rough idea of the plot.

After reading through the manuscript once, one can conclude whether the work has potential.

Machida Sonoko was an experienced editor.

She had encountered numerous amateurish writers, and she had also read works by authors with remarkable writing skills.

In theory, no matter the quality of the work, she should not be easily moved.

But when she opened this light novel in her hands, Machida Sonoko was so taken aback that she froze in place.

The writing style… isn't this just too exceptional?

It's the kind of writing where even if the story were bad, the writing alone could still sell the book.

Someone like this… why are they writing light novels?

Go conquer the literary world, Aho Baka!

She had only flipped through two or three pages when Machida Sonoko closed the manuscript.

"What's wrong, Machida-san? Is there something wrong with my light novel?" Yukima Azuma asked.

Machida Sonoko shook her head.

She wanted to give some critique but held back.

"I have a feeling if I keep reading, the two of us will be standing in this sun for another hour."

"Also, evaluating this manuscript isn't entirely up to me. I've already set up a meeting with the editor-in-chief for you."

"Anyway, let's go upstairs first."

The two of them entered the Fujikawa Publishing building, one after the other.

They walked into the editorial office.

Inside, the atmosphere was lively.

It was the beginning of summer vacation, the peak season for the light novel industry.

The editors were urging their authors to put more effort into this lucrative season.

"By the way, Machida-san, you're the lead editor, right? But it seems you don't have many editors under you?" Yukima Azuma casually asked.

But this question seemed to strike an unnecessary emotional damage.

Machida Sonoko felt as if an arrow had just pierced her knee.

It was true, she had worked at Fujikawa Publishing for many years.

But after becoming the lead editor, the number of editors under her had never exceeded three.

"Haizz, it's just a genre issue. You'll understand later. And stop poking at other people's weaknesses, kid!"

The two walked through rows of editors' desks and headed straight to the meeting room at the back.

Machida Sonoko walked up and knocked on the door.

A voice from inside called them in.

She opened the door.

Next to the large meeting table sat two people.

"This is the editor-in-chief of Fujikawa Publishing," Machida Enko gestured to a middle-aged man.

"This person…" She looked toward the other man, her gaze slightly avoiding. "Is the owner of Fujikawa Publishing."

Yukima Azuma turned his attention to the owner.

The man appeared to be in his thirties or forties.

Dressed in a neat suit, he looked like the epitome of a successful businessman.

He wore a golden Rolex watch on his wrist.

"These are Yukima-sensei, the one submitting the manuscript this time."

The two men merely nodded.

Yukima Azuma casually pulled up a chair next to the meeting table and sat down.

Machida Sonoko gave a slight smile and sat next to Yukima Azuma, nodding to the two men.

"Yukima-sensei, as for your conditions, Fujikawa Publishing is fully aware of them."

"But these conditions are rather strict. I think we could negotiate some terms…" The editor-in-chief began speaking.

Yukima Azuma placed the manuscript on the table and pushed it toward the editor-in-chief.

"Just read the manuscript first, then we'll talk."

Upon hearing this, the editor-in-chief of Fujikawa Publishing said nothing further and picked up the manuscript.

Then, a long silence followed.

The editor-in-chief's pace of flipping through the pages gradually slowed.

Theoretically, for a 600-page light novel, a professional editor could finish reading and evaluating it in about fifteen minutes.

Unlike regular readers, editors look for potential highlights behind the story.

While reading the manuscript, the editor-in-chief of Fujikawa Publishing took a full forty minutes.

During that time, his expression continuously shifted.

When he reached the last page, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Seeing this reaction, Machida Sonoko and the publisher's owner sitting beside her understood what was happening.

The editor-in-chief slowly raised his head. But instead of giving immediate feedback, he turned to glance at his superior.

They exchanged looks for a moment.

After that, the editor-in-chief placed the manuscript on the table.

"Yukima-sensei," he changed his tone of address, "your work is truly outstanding! This is indeed a rare masterpiece."

Upon hearing that evaluation, Yukima Azuma remained impassive.

If they really thought it was exceptional, they wouldn't just say that.

They'd start discussing the contract right away.

Yukima lightly tapped his fingers on the table.

The attitude of Fujikawa Publishing felt a bit strange to him.

Could it be that senpai is working with a publisher like this?

Sure enough, when evaluating a situation through a lens of familiarity, it's easy to make mistakes.

Seeing that Yukima Azuma seemed unconcerned, the editor-in-chief of Fujikawa Publishing got straight to the point:

"Yukima-sensei, although this work is impressive, it's still a youth love story."

"Currently, the most popular themes in the market are isekai and fantasy battles."

"The conditions you've set are too demanding, not only asking for the largest promotional campaign in the industry."

"Plus, you want to release it this month, which would push back the schedules of other releases."

"While Fujikawa Publishing is willing to invest, this is truly a risky bet."

"Yukima-sensei, would you consider reducing the promotional costs or… lowering the profit-sharing percentage?"

After speaking, he waited for Yukima Azuma's response.

Yukima Azuma stood up and took back his manuscript.

This action caused both the editor-in-chief and the owner of Fujikawa Publishing to frown.

After retrieving the manuscript, Yukima Azuma didn't sit back down.

Instead, he casually asked:

"I remember that Fujikawa Publishing started with youth love stories, right?"

Upon hearing this, the editor-in-chief appeared to recall something.

"Yes, our first bestselling light novel was Oreimo."

That was the famous work in the industry, My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute.

After receiving confirmation, Yukima Azuma became even more confused.

"Clearly, you started with youth love stories, but now in your publishing house, there are almost no authors writing youth love stories anymore?"

This question caused the editor-in-chief's face to turn pale.

At that moment, the owner of Fujikawa Publishing, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke.

"We are different from your authors. We have to keep the publishing house running; we're in business, we must follow the market."

These words made Yukima Azuma laugh.

The values you hold?, and yet you dare talk about business and the market in front of me.

If you love the market so much, why not just open an investment bank?

Retrieving the manuscript, Yukima Azuma clenched his right fist and punched his left palm, with an enlightened expression.

"No wonder Fujikawa Publishing has always been a second-rate publisher all these years."

After saying that, Yukima Azuma turned and walked out.